13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lesser, indeed!, Nov 14 2007
By Finnamon "finnamon" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Britten Conducts Britten: Opera Vol. 2 incl. A Midsummer Night's Dream / Teh Rape of Lucretia / The Turn of the Screw / Death in Venice / Gloriana (Audio CD)
How someone can refer to Rape of Lucretia and Turn of the Screw (or Midsummer Night's Dream, for that matter, my personal favorite among his many operas) as lesser works of Britten's is beyond me. I guess it is just a matter of taste, but especially in these performances, those who truly love Britten could hardly do wrong. Libretti lacking, but don't let that stop you. You never know when these will go out of print again!
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Britten's lesser operas?, May 29 2007
By Laszlo "CD Explorer" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Britten Conducts Britten: Opera Vol. 2 incl. A Midsummer Night's Dream / Teh Rape of Lucretia / The Turn of the Screw / Death in Venice / Gloriana (Audio CD)
Of course it's all a matter of taste. I find most of Britten's operas first class with no exception. 'Gloriana' is an under-recorded jewel, full of melody and emotion. 'Turn of the Screw' a masterpiece of claustrophobic sense. 'Rape of Lucretia' full of chamber sensibility. And the performances cannot be bettered.
Need I say more? DECCA is paying an enormous service to collectors with these releases, especially those who have a real concern with storage space. They deserve 10 stars, if available.
6 of 20 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Britten's lesser operas, May 12 2007
By frothy - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Britten Conducts Britten: Opera Vol. 2 incl. A Midsummer Night's Dream / Teh Rape of Lucretia / The Turn of the Screw / Death in Venice / Gloriana (Audio CD)
I loved Britten's Operas 1. So I snatched this item up right away. It's o.k. but not as good as the first collection. Death in Venice and the Turn of the Screw were the only operas on these discs that I really cared for. Bedford's version of Death in Venice is every bit as good as the Hickox version so if you already have one there's really no need to get the other. As for the other operas they're nowhere near as good as Billy Budd, Peter Grimes, or Albert Herring. For those just discovering Britten's operas start out with the first boxed set.